IN BRIEF

BOXING

July 19, 2009 - 9:00 pm

BOXING

Report: Autopsy creates doubts in Gatti’s death

An autopsy indicates former boxing champion Arturo Gatti might have committed suicide, been accidentally killed or murdered, according to a Brazilian newspaper that said it obtained a copy of the coroner’s initial findings.

Police have said they are certain Gatti’s 23-year-old wife strangled the boxer with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept July 11, but the autopsy report raises some doubts.

Gatti was found dead in the apartment he was renting with wife Amanda Rodrigues in the Brazilian seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas.

In the state capital of Recife, the Jornal do Comercio newspaper reported Saturday that the autopsy findings it obtained stated Gatti’s body was “suspended and hanged, indicating he may have committed suicide.”

The autopsy report, according to the newspaper, also said that “murder or accidental death” could not be ruled out. Paula Cysneiros, a spokeswoman for the medical examiners office that performed the autopsy, would not confirm the newspaper’s report.

In a related matter, a funeral for Arturo Gatti will be held Monday in his adopted hometown of Montreal.

HORSE RACING

Misremembered earns upset in Swaps Stakes

Misremembered went straight to the lead and never gave up any ground in a wire-to-wire upset of heavy favorite Grazen in the $300,000 Swaps Stakes for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Misremembered gave trainer Bob Baffert a record-tying fourth win in the stakes. Misremembered won by 13/4 lengths, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1 minute, 49.02 seconds and paying $10.20, $3.80 and $3.20.

Also: Battle of Hastings beat Straight Story by a nose to take the $750,000 Virginia Derby in Providence Forge, Va. The photo finish at Colonial Downs was a virtual repeat of last month’s Colonial Turf Cup.

Former coaches Lou Holtz and John Cooper were enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., among a class of 21 inductees.

Holtz took over six struggling programs and turned them into bowl teams within two years, leading Notre Dame to its last national championship in 1988. Cooper coached at Ohio State, Arizona State and Tulsa.

Among other inductees were former UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman, ex-Oklahoma State tailback Thurman Thomas and former Army quarterback Arnold Tucker.

Also: With just one regular in the starting lineup, the United States men’s soccer team rallied past Panama into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Kenny Cooper converted a penalty kick in the 105th minute, giving the two-time defending champions a 2-1 victory in Philadelphia and a semifinal berth against Honduras, which beat Canada, 1-0.

Former Indiana Pacers guard Marquis Daniels will play for the Boston Celtics next season. Agent Glenn Schwartzman said his client committed to go to Boston as a free agent or as part of a sign-and-trade deal with Indiana.

Daniels averaged a career-high 13.6 points last season, but Indiana chose not to pick up its $7.3 million team option on him.